Method and system for facilitating payment transactions using access devices

ABSTRACT

A payment system for facilitating a payment transaction between a payer and a payee is disclosed. The payment system includes a payer access device, a payee access device, and a services hub. The services hub is configured to communicate with the payer device and the payee device; maintain information relating to a payer account and access device information associated with the payer account, the payer account being linked to the access device; generate a tracer ticket in response to a request issued by the payer using either the payer device or the payee device, the tracer ticket containing information relating to the payment transaction; validate the access devices; and authorize the payment transaction against the payer account through conventional payment processing systems. Upon receiving the request from the payee device for the tracer ticket, the services hub generates the tracer ticket and forwards a copy thereof to the payer via the payee device. Upon receiving the copy of the tracer ticket, the payer uses the payer device to communicate with the services hub and forward the received copy of the tracer ticket to the services hub. The services hub then validates the payer device based on the access device information. Upon validation of the payer device, the services hub checks the copy of the tracer ticket forwarded by the access device against the previously generated tracer ticket. If the copy of the tracer ticket forwarded by the access device corresponds to the previously generated tracer ticket, the services hub authorizes the payment transaction against the payer account.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of financialtransaction processing and, more specifically, to a method and systemfor facilitating payment transactions using portable electronic devices.

A typical consumer generally maintains a number of financial accounts.For example, a consumer may have a number of credit and/or chargeaccounts issued by various financial institutions or merchants as wellas the more traditional banking accounts, such as, savings and checkingaccounts. When making payments, most consumers usually choose either acharge account or a checking account. In the case of a credit purchase,a charge is made against a credit account, and in the case of a debitpurchase, a transaction amount is debited against a checking account.

Various financial accounts are typically offered and maintained bydifferent financial or business institutions. In most cases theseaccounts are supported by different payment systems and underlyingfinancial networks. For example, a credit account may be issued via abank or a retail merchant and the payments are processed via credit cardpayment networks; a debit account may be maintained by an institutionalbank; and the transactions are handled by debit card networks.

The physical presentation instruments of a financial account can be amagnetic stripe card, a chip card or a check book. Financialtransactions are typically conducted using these presentationinstruments and compatible point-of-sale devices at designated cardacceptance locations. The cardholder can also provide accountinformation over the Internet in an on-line payment environment.

With a plethora of financial offerings, it is typical for today'sconsumer to have a number of credit cards, various merchant chargecards, debit cards (DDA-demand deposit accounts), etc. Since differentinstitutions respectively maintain different financial accounts anddisparate systems, these institutions generally do not communicate withone another, and there is a lack of uniformity in accessing customeraccounts. If access to all accounts is desired when making payments, aconsumer must carry all corresponding presentation instruments andunderstand the locations and terms by which these instruments areaccepted. This may prove to be an inconvenience if a large number ofpresentation instruments are involved.

In addition, physically carrying presentation instruments also poses asignificant security risk. For example, the presentation instrumentcould get stolen or misplaced, or account information which is typicallyprinted on the presentation instrument may be accessed relatively easilyby unauthorized third parties to conduct illegitimate transactions.While it is true that most presentation instruments have a singlesecurity level, such as, a signature, a password or logon identificationor the like, for authenticating user access to the associated accounts,this single security level does not always provide sufficiently highsecurity assurance that may be deemed desirable for financialtransactions. In many commercial transactions, only a single signature,which may be forged with relative ease, is required to consummate atransaction. And in some cases, such as, online transactions conductedon the Internet, no signature is even needed.

Hence, it would be desirable to have a method and system that is capableof providing a uniform secure access via consumer chosen electronicdevices to various financial accounts without requiring a consumer tocarry the corresponding presentation instruments. It is also desirableto control all such accounts for various financial institutions intandem from a single interface.

Furthermore, technological advancements have contributed to theincreasingly popular use of wireless communication devices. Examples ofsuch wireless communication devices are cell phones, portable digitalassistants (PDAs) and the like. One reason for this increasingpopularity is the improved portability of smaller wireless communicationdevices and ubiquitous network access.

Another reason for the increasing popularity is the enhancedfunctionality of these wireless communication devices. Many wirelesscommunication devices are now able to perform a number of differenttasks. More functionality and applications are being developed and addedto accommodate the needs of consumers. For example, some cell phones notonly provide traditional telephonic functions but they also offer moreadvanced functions, such as, the capability to allow a user to accessand navigate the Internet or otherwise conduct transactions.

Therefore, it would also be desirable to have a method and system thatis capable of using the enhanced functionality of portable communicationdevices to allow a consumer to use a uniform method to access multiplefinancial accounts for everyday financial activities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and system is disclosed for electronically connecting any payerto any payee to facilitate a financial transaction across or betweenpayment processing systems. Among other advantages, the system providesa single interface for accessing various accounts belonging to payersand payees. This functionality can enable consumers to pay for purchasedgoods and/or services at merchant locations or pay individuals withouthaving numerous payment cards in their possession by using personalaccess devices such as a cell phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA),a regular telephone, or a personal computer with Internet access.

As another example, payers can use such access devices to transferpayment amounts from one or more accounts to one or more payee accounts.This single interface point includes a personal access device and itscommunication network with a payment services hub. Initially, aregistration process occurs at a payment services hub. Users, such as,payers and payees, register their accounts and associated information.Examples of such accounts are credit card accounts, merchant chargeaccounts, demand deposit accounts (DDAs), and the like. Users can alsoregister access devices such as cell phones, land line telephones andPDAs used to communicate with the payment services hub. It should benoted that payee registration is optional in some exemplary embodiments.

After registration, the payment services hub can be used to facilitatethe transfer of payment amounts from a payer account to a payee accounteven if the accounts are supported by different payment systems.

According to one exemplary method, to initiate a payment request, aregistered access device belonging to a payer is used to contact thepayment services hub. Upon receiving the payment request, the paymentservices hub first authenticates the payer's identity and the registeredaccess device. If authentication is successful, the payment services hubgenerates a tracer ticket for linking the payer to the payee. In oneembodiment, the tracer ticket is a data record containing varioustransaction-related information in an encrypted and digitally signedformat. Among other attributes, the tracer ticket can include theauthorized payment amount and the payer and payee account informationfor the subject transaction.

Upon receiving the tracer ticket, the payer forwards this information tothe payee. In turn, the payee uses the payee's registered access deviceto contact the payment services hub. Here, the payee requests payment byproviding the tracer ticket information to the payment services hub.Payment is authorized if the tracer ticket information provided matchesthe payment terms of the ticket that was previously generated by thepayment services hub. Advantageously, the payment services hubfacilitates a two-tier process where tracer ticket generation isseparated from the payer authorization process.

According to another aspect, the payer can register multiple accountsfrom which payments can be made. Thus, upon payer request, the paymentservices hub is configured to make a payment from one or more payeraccounts to a payee account.

According to another aspect, an exemplary method is disclosed forprocessing a payment amount to be transferred. This method includes thesteps of receiving a payment request from a payee device such as a POS(point of sale) device, and providing a tracer ticket to the payeedevice. This tracer ticket is then displayed to the payer on the payeedevice. After the tracer ticket is reviewed by the payer, the methodincludes the steps of establishing communication with the paymentservices hub through the payer's access device, and submitting thetracer ticket information via the payer access device. Thereafter, themethod validates that the tracer ticket provided to the payee devicecorresponds to the tracer ticket information received from the payeraccess device. If validation is successful, the payment request isprocessed.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the present invention of thepayment service hub is implemented as a computer software productexecutable by a computer and network system infrastructure. Thiscomputer software product includes programming code for receiving apayment request along with the payer identification information from apayee device, and for providing a tracer ticket to the payee device. Thecomputer software product further includes programming code forestablishing communication with a payer access device based on theprovided payer identification information, and for accepting the tracerticket information from the payer access device. Further, programmingcode of the payment services hub is included for validating that thetracer ticket information submitted by the payer corresponds to thepayee's tracer ticket information, and for processing the paymentrequest such that the designated amount is later transferred or creditedto a payee account.

Another exemplary method of transferring a payment amount from a firstaccount to a second account is disclosed. The first account may be apayer account while the second account is a payee account. This methodincludes the steps of registering the first account with the paymentservices hub, and registering a communication device associated with thefirst account. Further steps include using the communication device torequest access to the payment services hub, and authenticating theaccess request using a number associated with the communication device.This number may be a cell phone number or telephone number, for example.Next, steps of requesting transfer of the payment amount from the firstaccount to the second account, and generating the tracer ticket areimplemented. Note that the tracer ticket contains designations for thepayment amount, the first account and the second account.

According to another exemplary aspect, a method of processing a paymentamount is disclosed. The method includes the steps of using a firstcommunication device to request a tracer ticket; and receiving thetracer ticket. As an example, the first communication device can be aland-line telephone. Further, the method includes the steps of using asecond communication device and the tracer ticket to request the paymentamount; and authorizing transfer of the payment amount from a payer to apayee. Note that the second communication device may be a payee's cellphone.

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portionsof the specification and the attached drawings. References to “steps” ofthe present invention should not be construed as limited to “step plusfunction” means, and are not intended to refer to a specific order forimplementing the invention. Further features and advantages of thepresent invention, as well as the structure and operation of variousembodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below withrespect to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the samereference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the overallarchitecture of a payment system for facilitating payment transactionsin accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplaryembodiment of a payment services hub in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of registeringusers of the payment system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a first exemplary method of usingthe payment system to pay merchants in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a second exemplary method of usingthe payment system to pay merchants in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a third exemplary method of usingthe payment system to pay merchants in accordance with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of using thepayment system to pay individuals in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention in the form of one or more exemplary embodimentswill now be described.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the overallarchitecture of a payment system 100 for facilitating paymenttransactions in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. According to the exemplary embodiment, the payment system 100is provided for facilitating a financial transaction between a payer 102and a payee 104. The payment system 100 may use mobile communication andInternet based technologies to facilitate such a financial transaction.The payment system 100 includes a payment services hub 108 that managesand coordinates financial transactions among payers, payees, financialinstitutions and underlying payment processing services.

The payment services hub 108 can communicate with a number of financialsystems 110, 112 and 114 maintained by third parties, such as, a bankcard issuer, a merchant acquirer, a financial institution, and abusiness entity, etc. These financial systems offer different types offinancial and/or payment services, such as, credit services, debitservices, ACH, electronic fund transfers. A payment service hub acts asan integrator that bridges these financial services in support of payersand payees and their associated access devices.

The payment services hub 108 uses selective third party payment servicesto complete payment transactions between payer account issuers and payeeaccount issuers. For example, referring to FIG. 1, payer account 120 ishandled by a first financial system 110, conventional payment services122 are offered by a second financial system 112, and a payee account124 is handled by a third financial system 114. Payment services offeredby payment services hub 108 will be further described below.Communications between the payment services hub 108 and the financialsystems 110, 112 and 114 are conducted via computer networks, such as,the Internet, or dedicated private communication links. In an exemplaryembodiment, the payment services hub 108 employs an end-to-end networkand system security, and federated access controls. One skilled in theart can easily implement various techniques for secure communication.

In addition, the payment services hub 108 also includes a number ofcommunication interfaces (not shown) to allow communication with accessdevices. Furthermore, the payment services hub 108 provides a uniforminterface to facilitate the authorization and settlement of the paymenttransactions between disparate payment processing systems. Thus, thepayment services hub 108 can allow secure payment transactions to occurbetween any financial accounts through the access devices chosen by thepayer and payee, respectively.

As will be further described below, for example, a payer 102 can use thepayment system 100 to pay for goods and/or services purchased from amerchant/payee 104. More specifically, the payer 102 may utilize anaccess device, such as, a cell phone 106, to contact the paymentservices hub 108 to effect payment for a purchase to the payee 104. Thepayee 104 in turn can collect the payment via an access device such asregular telephone 116. The payment services hub 108 utilizes anelectronic tracer ticket (not shown) to associate the payer 102 and thepayee 104 and ensure that the payment transaction to be completed isauthorized. The function and use of the tracer ticket will be furtherdemonstrated below.

The payment services hub 108 communicates with the relevant financialsystems that respectively maintain the payer account and the payeeaccount as well as other payment processing systems that may be neededand effect transfer of funds between the accounts. For example, if thepayer account is a credit card account, the payment services hub 108coordinates all the relevant activities amongst the issuer financialsystem, the acquirer financial system and the processing network toeffect the payment authorization and the transfer of funds between theissuer financial system and the acquirer financial system. The paymentservices hub 108 can support smart cards, personal identificationnumbers, biometric mechanisms and other techniques for paymentauthentication and authorization.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplaryembodiment of the payment services hub 108 in accordance with thepresent invention. The payment services hub 108 may comprise softwarecomponents, hardware components, or a combination of both. Hardwarecomponents include, for example, switches, routers, groups of modemcards for dial-in users, voice response units, and/or a gateway cardsfor connections to a local area and external networks. The softwarecomponents of the payment services hub 108 described here can beimplemented in a distributed or integrated manner depending on thesystem capabilities and agreements of the participating financialinstitutions. Based on the disclosure provided herein, a person ofordinary skill in the art will know of other ways and/or methods toimplement the payment services hub 108 in accordance with the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the payment services hub 108 has a number ofmodules as shown. These modules can include one or more program codes orapplications for performing desired tasks. The modules include a tracerticket issuance module 202 for generating tracer tickets, a serviceprofiles module 204 for maintaining user service profiles and personalpreferences, a user registration module 206 for registering payers and,optionally, for registering payees, an operating regulations module 208for providing technical and business operating regulations that governthe use of the services, an access authentication module 210 formaintaining and enforcing authentication schemes or profiles relating toaccess devices, a tracer ticket services module 212 for providing anumber of services specific to the tracer tickets, and a payment systeminterface module 214 for communicating and message formattingtransactions for various payment services.

As mentioned above, tracer tickets are generated by the tracer ticketissuance module 202. Such a tracer ticket associates a payer and a payeeto authorize the transfer of payment amounts from the payer to thepayee. In one exemplary embodiment, a tracer ticket is a securefinancial token representing a collection of payment terms containingpertinent payment authorization, and clearing and settlement informationrequired by the downstream payment processing systems. This informationincludes, for example, an identification number associated with thetracer ticket, a payment amount, payee name, payer name, transactiondetails, password, digital certificate, digital signature, accountinformation, payment instructions, payee's identity, e-mail addressesand other pertinent transaction information. The tracer ticket may alsorepresent a payment assertion made by payer and/or the payment system100.

If the payee's name, identity, and/or the account information is notspecified at the time of tracer ticket issuance, possession of thetracer ticket constitutes a rightful claim to the payment amount,provided other transaction conditions have been satisfied. Note thatrightful possession of the tracer ticket is validated by the paymentsystem 100, which validates the payee's (the ticket bearer) knowledge ofthe payment terms by verifying knowledge that should only be known tothe payee. The use of tracer tickets will be further described below.

The service profiles module 204 receives and maintains various types ofinformation from users. Users include payers and, optionally, payees.This information includes, for example, personal preferences, securitypreferences, payment profiles and device information relating to accessdevices that will be used to access the payment services hub 108.

The user registration module 206 registers and maintains payer and/orpayee information, such as, information relating to accounts and theirassociated access devices. More specifically, a user (either a payer ora payee) provides a list of accounts that are to be serviced and/ormanaged by the payment services hub 108. Each account may be associatedwith one or more access devices, such as, a cell phone, a PDA, atraditional telephone, a personal computer, a point-of-sale device, etc.Information relating to these access devices is registered or linked toa specific account.

Payment services hub 108 only allows access devices (and no otherdevices) that are linked to an account (i.e., registered access devices)to be used to conduct a payment transaction in connection with thataccount. For example, a payer may provide information relating tohis/her checking account to the payment services hub 108 and link thataccount to a particular cell phone. As a result, the payment serviceshub 108 only allows that particular cell phone to be used fortransacting business in connection with that payer's checking account.

The operating regulations module 208 defines and maintains regulationsthat govern the user' activities. Users, including payers and payees, ofthe payment system 100 are required to abide by the applicable operatingregulations. These regulations include business regulations, such as,service agreements, privacy regulations and dispute resolution,insurance policy and escrow policy, etc. For example, dispute resolutionregulations specify a party's recourse when that party fails to receivefunds that are supposed to have been transferred by the payment system100. These regulations also include technical regulations that need tobe complied with for communication with the payment services hub 108.For example, a regulation may specify technical and network criteriathat must be complied with before a financial institution is allowed tocommunicate with the payment services hub 108.

The access authentication module 210 stores and maintains respectiveauthentication schemes for registered access devices. Different accessdevices may utilize different authentication schemes, such as, userID/password, PKI or digital certificate, smart card, and biometricinformation including fingerprint, voice print, retina scan and anyother unique identification information, etc. This provides additionalsecurity against unauthorized use of registered access devices. Forexample, a stolen access device, albeit registered, cannot be used toeffect a payment transaction using the payment services hub 108 if theaccess device cannot be authenticated.

Tracer ticket services module 212 provides services that are specific tothe processing of tracer tickets. These services may includeacquisition, authentication, authorization, settlement, audit anddispute resolution relating to the payment transactions initiated by thetracer ticket.

Payment system interface module 214 provides the ability to format,translate, and route the payment transactions to appropriate paymentnetworks, e.g., ATM networks, credit card networks, ACH networks, etc.for completing the payment transactions originated by the payment system100.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method for registering users, such aspayers, with the payment system 100. To use the payment system 100, itis preferred that the payer 102 provides certain registrationinformation. In an exemplary embodiment, the registration information iscollected by the payment services hub 108, more specifically, the userregistration module 206, via a user interface that is accessible throughthe Internet.

At step 302, the registration process is initiated by the payer 102online. The payer 102 uses, for example, a computer 301 to access one ofthe affiliated registration web sites of the payment system 100. The website provides an introduction that describes the payment services,provides demonstrations, and thereafter, if the payer 102 wishes toproceed, initiates a registration process. Services related to theregistration process may be hosted by the payment system 100, genericservice providers designated to set up register and qualify useraccounts, or an account issuer website (i.e., a bank or a financialinstitution). In addition, although not shown, the registration processmay occur over the telephone or via regular postal mail services.

At step 304, payer information is provided to the payment services hub108. The payer 102 fills out a registration form, and provides therequested information to register the accounts that are to be servicedby the payment system 100. For example, the payer 102 may provide aname, address, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and otherpertinent information. Further, access devices 322 that will be used tocommunicate with the payment services hub 108 are registered by thepayer 102. These access devices may be a cell phone, a PDA, atraditional telephone, a computer and the like. More specifically, thepayer 102 specifies how the access devices are to be linked to theregistered accounts. For example, the payer 102 can link all the accessdevices to all registered accounts. Alternatively, certain designatedaccounts may be linked only to certain access devices. For example, thepayer's registered credit card account may be linked with a registeredcell phone, but not with a registered PDA

The registration process of the payment services hub 108 also capturesinformation that is needed to authenticate the registered access devicesfor security reasons. The payment services hub 108 is designed tosupport a number of authentication schemes used by various accessdevices. For example, a fingerprint, a voice print over the telephone,logon identification and password may be captured and stored by thepayment services hub 108.

Other information relating to personal preferences and payment profiles312 may also be captured by the payment services hub 108 during theregistration process. For example, the payer 102 can specify accountsfrom which payment for goods and/or services are automatically made ifthe conditions of the purchase satisfy the established payment profile.In another example, the payer 102 directs that a registered accountspecifically be charged for purchases from designated merchants.Further, as shown, the payer 102 can provide updated information asneeded for profile management at step 312. Such information can be, forexample, personal preferences, security preferences, payment profilesand session preferences.

As part of the registration process, certain information, such as, legalinformation and user operating regulations is provided to the payer 102.Such information includes security agreements, privacy, arbitration,insurance, escrow policies, etc. As an example, a user agreement maystate that the payer must pay for goods and/or services as agreedbetween the payer 102 and a merchant from whom the goods and serviceswere purchased. As another example, the user agreement may require thatthe payer 102 submit all disagreements for arbitration. If payer 102agrees with the legal and user operating regulations, the payer 102 isregistered with the payment system 100.

At step 306, the payer's account is activated. The payer 102 is guidedthrough a test run, illustrating operations of the payment servicesprovided by the payment system 100. First, a dummy tracer ticket fordemonstration purposes is created by the payment services hub 108 foruse during the test run. An identification number and a pass code aregenerated in association with the dummy tracer ticket. The payer 102 isthen directed by the payment services hub 108 to activate a registeredaccess device for the test run. The payment services hub 108 thencontacts the activated registered access device.

At step 308, communication is established between the payment serviceshub 108 and the registered access device 322. The payer 102 is asked bythe payment services hub 108 to provide the dummy tracer ticket. Inresponse, the payer 102 uses the registered access device 322 to enterthe identification number and the pass code associated with the dummytracer ticket. If the identification number and/or the pass code isincorrect, or, if payment services hub 108 is unable to contact theregistered access device 322, a troubleshooting dialog is initiated bythe registration web site.

Otherwise, at step 310, registration is confirmed. The payer 102 isprompted to confirm registration of the indicated accounts and accessdevices 322. In turn, the payer 102 provides the requested confirmation,whereupon a registration-complete acknowledgment is sent by paymentservices hub 108 to the payer 102.

As mentioned above, it should be noted that a payee 104 may also beregistered with the payment services hub 108. A registered user can beeither a payer 102 or a payee 104. Registering a payee 104 requires lessinformation. A payee 104 only needs to provide sufficient information toidentify the accounts that are to be serviced by the payment serviceshub 108. Once registration is completed, the payment services hub 108can be used by the payer 102 to effect a payment transaction to pay thepayee 104.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a first exemplary method of usingthe payment system 100 to pay the payee 104 in accordance with thepresent invention. More specifically, among multiple payment options atthe merchant location, the payer 102 chooses the payment system 100 topay for goods and/or services purchased from the merchant/payee 104.

At step 402, the payer 102 initiates the payment process by selecting atthe POS device 403 an option offering payment services by the paymentsystem 100. In one exemplary embodiment, the POS device 403 is aconventional payment device connected to the payment services hub 108via the merchant back office systems. In another exemplary embodiment,the POS device 403 can include authentication mechanisms, such as,biometrics (e.g., fingerprint), smart card, user ID/password and thelike. These security mechanisms are used to authenticate and authorizethe payer's access to the payment services hub 108. For example, afterselecting the payment services provided by the payment system 100, apayer 102's fingerprint may be captured by the POS device 403 andforwarded to the payment services hub 108 for validation with afingerprint verification service to ensure that only an authorized payercan initiate the payment process.

At step 404, the payment services hub 108 is contacted by the POS device403 to obtain a tracer ticket. As previously noted, the tracer ticketfunctions to authorize payment of the designated amount. Registeredpayee/merchant account information and other pertinent information areretrieved from various databases (not shown) for generating the tracerticket. Examples of such information are payee's (merchant) profile,security preferences profile, access device (POS) profile, and paymentprofile.

A merchant profile includes a merchant name, types of business and otherpertinent information. Security preferences profile includesauthentication choices such as payee identification and password,digital certificate, and the like. Access device profile includesauthentication and device type information for registered accessdevices, in this exemplary embodiment, POS device 403. These profilesare evaluated to determine whether the tracer ticket will be generated,and what information is to be included in the tracer ticket. Further,the tracer ticket generation is separate from the payer authorizationand tracer ticket validation processes to further enhance overallsecurity. As discussed below at step 406, after the tracer ticket isgenerated, the tracer ticket number is displayed at the POS device 403.The payer 102 uses the tracer ticket number and a registered accessdevice 322 to authorize payment.

At step 406, to provide the requested tracer ticket, a payment amount isrequired by the payment services hub 108. Thus, a dialog is initiatedbetween the payment services hub 108 and the POS device 403 to obtainthis payment amount. The merchant/payee 104 is prompted for a paymentamount and any payment terms, if applicable. The payment amount could bethe total purchase price of the goods and/or services, for example.Payment terms may relate to how the payment is to be made, for example.Upon receiving the payment amount data, the tracer ticket is forwardedto the POS device 403 as illustrated at step 408. The POS device 403, inturn, displays the tracer ticket number for retrieval by payer 102.

At step 410, the payer authorization process is initiated. Specifically,the payer 102 uses the access device 322 to contact the payment serviceshub 108. This authorization process is separate from the tracer ticketgeneration process. Thus, while the tracer ticket is generated by usingthe POS device 403 to contact the payment services hub 108, theauthorization process is implemented by using the registered accessdevice 322 to contact the payment services hub 108. This two-tierprocess further increases overall security within the payment system100.

At step 412, contact is established. The payment services hub 108 thenauthenticates access by the payer 102. Specifically, the paymentservices hub 108 retrieves stored registration information to validatethe access device 322. This registration information is used to confirmthat access device 322 is indeed linked to the payer 102. The paymentservices hub 108 employs two or more security levels for authenticatingthe payer 102. A first security level uses a digital identificationassociated with the access device 322, and a second security level is alogon id/password. As an example, if the access device 322 is a cellphone, the cell phone number is used for authentication. A secondsecurity level can be a user ID/password, smart card, etc. Further yet,fingerprint, voice print authentication may be used for the first,second or third security level, where appropriate. The desired securitylevel and authentication methods can be configured according to theuser's preference and operating regulations.

At step 414, the payment services hub 108 retrieves various payeraccount information. This information comprises personal preferences,security preferences, access device information and payment profiles.Personal preferences include display interface preferences. Securitypreferences include authentication choices such as password, voiceprint, biometrics, and the like. Access device information includes cellphone and PDA information, for example. Payment profile informationcontains information specifying how an account is linked to theregistered access device 322. This information is used to authenticatethe payer 102, and the access device 322 and to evaluate the criteria ofthe tracer ticket generations and verification services, and whatinformation is required in the tracer ticket. Optionally, the paymentservices hub 108 can interact with a conventional payment infrastructure401 to obtain payer account information 415. Payer account information415 is an additional profile layer that is set up by the payer 102within the conventional payment infrastructure 401.

At step 416, a dialog (step 417) is established between the paymentservices hub 108 and the payer's access device 322. The payer 102 isprompted to enter the tracer ticket number previously obtained at step408. In response, the payer 102 uses the access device 322 to enter thetracer ticket number, whereupon, the payment services hub 108 begins toverify the tracer ticket information. The payment services hub 108retrieves the related transaction and merchant information, which iscompared and checked against the tracer ticket information.

In one exemplary embodiment, where two or more registered accountsexist, the payer 102 is prompted to select the desired account fromwhich payment will be made. For example, the payer 102 can choose a DDA(checking) account rather than a credit account for a particulartransaction. Payment is then initiated through a financial systemassociated with the DDA account via the payment system interface 214. Inanother exemplary embodiment, the payer 102 can split the payment amountbetween two or more registered accounts.

Upon proper authentication, the payment services hub 108, morespecifically, the payment system interface module 214 directs theconventional payment infrastructure 401 to process payment authorizationaccording to established payment processing techniques, as illustratedin steps 429, 419 and 421. Once payment is authorized, the conventionalpayment infrastructure 401 forwards an acknowledgement to the payerand/or payee via the payment services hub 108. As shown at steps 420 and422, the paid/approved response can be delivered to the POS device 403and/or the access device 322 to inform the parties regarding the outcomeof the financial transaction.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating another exemplary method of usingthe payment services hub 108 to pay merchants in accordance with thepresent invention.

Specifically, the payer 102 does not originate contact with the paymentservices hub 108 after the tracer ticket is generated and displayed atthe POS device 403. Rather, the payer 102 is contacted by the paymentservices hub 108 to validate the tracer ticket information. Accordingly,other than steps 506, 507 and 510, all of the steps of FIG. 5 remain thesame as those described with reference to FIG. 4.

As noted, at step 404, the POS device 403 contacts the payment serviceshub 108 to obtain a tracer ticket. This begins step 506 wherein a dialogbetween the payment services hub 108 and the POS device 403 isinitiated. Here, the payee/merchant 104 is directed to enter a paymentamount, and any other payment terms, if applicable, along with payer102's identification information. Upon receiving the paymentinformation, the payment services hub 108 creates and forwards thetracer ticket to the POS device 403, as illustrated at step 408. The POSdevice 403, in turn, displays the tracer ticket number for retrieval bythe payer 102. Thereafter, the payer 102 retrieves the tracer ticket,and awaits contact by the payment services hub 108.

At step 507, the payment services hub 108 initiates contact with thepayer 102. Here, the payment services hub 108 retrieves payer 102'spersonal profiles to contact the access device 322, previouslyregistered by payer 102. Note that one or more access devices may beregistered, in which case, the payment services hub 108 contacts thefirst registered access device, based on a hierarchy established by thepayer 102 at registration. If the call is not answered, the nextpreferred access device is called, etc., until contact is establishedwith the payer 102.

After contact is established, the payer 102 is authenticated by thepayment services hub 108 to determine whether the payer 102 is anauthorized user with the access device 322. This authentication processwas previously described with reference to steps 412-414 of FIG. 4.After authentication, the payer's profile and preferences are retrieved,the tracer ticket information is verified, and the designated paymentamount is transferred in the same manner described with reference tosteps 412-421 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating yet another exemplary method ofusing the payment system 100 to pay merchants in accordance with thepresent invention. Specifically, the payer 102 can obtain a tracerticket in advance from the payment services hub 108. This tracer ticketis then presented to a merchant 104 for payment. By obtaining a tracerticket in advance, the tracer ticket can be used as a pre-authorizedpayment token.

At step 601, the payer 102 employs the access device 322 to contact thepayment services hub 108 for the purpose of obtaining the tracer ticket.At step 602, the payment services hub 108 authenticates the accessdevice 322 (and payer 102). Authentication may be implemented using anumber associated with the access device 322. The number may be atelephone number, for example, where the access device 322 is atelephone. If an incorrect telephone number is detected, access to thepayment services hub 108 is denied. This authentication process waspreviously described with reference to steps 412-414 of FIG. 4.

At step 604, the payment services hub 108 retrieves various payeraccount information, including personal preferences, securitypreferences, access device information and payment profiles.

At step 606, a transactional dialog (step 608) is initiated between thepayment services hub 108 and the access device 322. The payer 102 isprompted for certain information. This information includes a paymentamount, payment terms and payee information, for example. After theinformation is received, a tracer ticket is provided to the payer 102via the access device 322. Optionally, the tracer ticket is given anexpiration time or date; i.e., the tracer ticket has a limited lifetime.The limited lifetime duration provides an additional level of security.

At step 610, the payer 102 wishes to pay for the purchased goods and/orservices at a registered merchant/payee 104 location. To initiatepayment, the payer 102 uses the POS device 403 to select the paymentservices offered by the payment system 100.

At step 612, the payer 102 is prompted by the payment services hub 108to enter the tracer ticket number that was previously provided by thepayment services hub 108. In response, the payer 102 enters the tracerticket number at the POS device 403.

At step 614, the payment services hub 108 (step 616) begins to verifythe tracer ticket information. For example, the payment services hub 108retrieves payment profiles related to the payer 102 and thepayee/merchant 104, which are compared and checked against the tracerticket information. If the tracer ticket has an expiration time, theexpiration time is checked to make sure that the tracer ticket is stillvalid. Thereafter, if the tracer ticket is determined to be valid, thepayment amount is captured from the tracer ticket dialog to beginprocessing the payment request. This payment request is then sent via apayment system interface module 214 to the conventional paymentinfrastructure 620, which uses conventional techniques to process therequest as illustrated in steps 622 and 624. Thereafter, anapproved/disapproved response is provided to the payment services hub108, which conveys the response via the interface 214 to the POS device403 at step 618.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of usingpayment system 100 to pay an individual payee 104. At step 701, thispayment process is initiated, wherein the payer 102 employs the accessdevice 322 to contact the payment services hub 108. The purpose of thiscommunication is to obtain a tracer ticket from the payment services hub108.

At step 702, the payment services hub 108 establishes contact andauthenticates access by the access device 322. At step 704, the paymentservices hub 108 retrieves various payer account information includingpersonal preferences, security preferences, access device informationand payment profiles. As previously noted as an example, if the accessdevice 322 is a cell phone, then its cell phone digital identificationis used for authentication, along with other authentication techniquessuch as user ID and password, depending on payer 102's preferences.

At step 706, a transactional dialog (step 708) is initiated between thepayment services hub 108 and the access device 322. The payer 102 isprompted for various required information such as a payment amount andpayment terms for the transaction. A one-time password for use by theindividual payee 104 is further provided. By providing a password,access to the payment services hub 108 by unregistered individual payeescan be authenticated. This authentication provides an additional levelof security. Upon receiving the required information, a tracer ticket iscreated and provided to the payer 102 via the access device 322.

At step 710, a transaction confirmation is sent to the payer 102. Atstep 712, the payer 102 conveys both the password and the tracer ticketnumber to the individual payee 104 within the appropriate time frameprior to the expiration of the tracer ticket.

At step 714, the individual payee 104 uses the unregistered accessdevice 726 to log on to the payment services hub 108. As shown, theaccess device 726 may be a computer, a cell phone, a PDA, a regulartelephone and the like.

At step 715, the payment services hub 108 receives the logon request andauthenticates access by the individual payee 104, an unregistered userof the payment system 100.

At step 716, the payment services hub 108 attempts to retrieve variouspayee account information, including personal preferences, securitypreferences, access device information and payment profiles anddetermines that the logon user is unregistered.

At step 718, a transactional dialog (step 719) is initiated between thepayment services hub 108 and the access device 726. The individual payee104 is prompted for both the tracer ticket number and the associatedone-time password that were received from the payer 102. Upon receivingthis information, the payment services hub 108 verifies the tracerticket information, captures the payment amount. The payee 104 isfurther prompted for the additional account information in order tocomplete the payment transaction via the conventional paymentinfrastructure 720. The payment services hub 108 uses the payment systeminterface module 214 to send a payment request to the conventionalpayment infrastructure 720. The payment infrastructure 720 then usesconventional techniques to process the payment request as illustrated insteps 719 and 724. Thereafter, the conventional payment infrastructure720 sends, via the interface 214, an approved/disapproved response tothe payment services hub 108.

In turn, at step 719, the payment services hub 108 conveys this responseto the individual payee 104 via the access device 726. In this manner,the method of the present invention is used to facilitate electronictransfer of payments between individuals. As an example, the payer 102can use this method to pay for items purchased from an auction website,such as, eBay. The individual payee 104 indicates a preference toreceive a U.S. postal money order for the sold items. The payer 102 thendials into the payment services hub 108, and obtains a tracer ticketincorporating all of the individual payee preferences. The tracer ticketand associated password are then conveyed to the individual payee 104.The individual payee 104 can then use this information to claim the U.S.postal money order at a designated location.

Note, however, that registration is optional for the individual payee104. Preferably, both the payer 102 and the individual payee 104 areregistered with the payment system 100, as previously described withreference to FIG. 3. Once a password and tracer ticket number have beenprovided, the individual payee can collect the payment amount from anydesired location or online where the payment system 100 is accepted forpayment processing.

While the above is a complete description of exemplary specificembodiments of the invention, additional embodiments are also possible.Thus, the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope ofthe invention, which is defined by the appended claims along with theirfull scope of equivalents.

1-55. (canceled)
 56. A payee device for facilitating a paymenttransaction between a payer and a payee, the payee device configured to:display a plurality of payment options to the payer, wherein at leastone payment option enables payment using a tracer ticket containingtracer ticket information; receive a payment selection from the payer;communicate the tracer ticket information with a services hub; andoutput a payment completion response.
 57. The payee device of claim 56,wherein the payee device is a point-of-sale device.
 58. The payee deviceof claim 56, further configured to request the services hub to generatethe tracer ticket.
 59. The payee device of claim 56, wherein the tracerticket is encrypted.
 60. The payee device of claim 58, furtherconfigured to receive instructions from the services hub prompting thepayee for payment transaction information, wherein the paymenttransaction information comprises a payment amount.
 61. The payee deviceof claim 60, wherein the payment transaction information furthercomprises payment terms.
 62. The payee device of claim 60, wherein thepayment transaction information further comprises identificationinformation of the payer.
 63. The payee device of claim 60, furtherconfigured to transmit the payment transaction information to theservices hub.
 64. The payee device of claim 58, further configured toreceive the tracer ticket and a tracer ticket number from the serviceshub, wherein the tracer ticket number corresponds to the tracer ticket.65. The payee device of claim 58, further configured to display thetracer ticket and the tracer ticket number to the payer.
 66. The payeedevice of claim 56, wherein the payee device is further configured toprovide prompt to the payer to input a tracer ticket number, wherein thetracer ticket number corresponds to a pre-authorized tracer ticket. 67.The payee device of claim 66, wherein the payee device is a point ofsale device.
 68. The payee device of claim 56, wherein the payee deviceis further configured to obtain authentication information from thepayer and transmit the authentication information to the services hub.69. The payee device of claim 68, wherein the authentication informationincludes a password, login ID or biometric information.
 70. The payeedevice of claim 56, wherein the payment completion response indicatessuccess of the payment transaction.
 71. A method for facilitating apayment transaction between a payer and a payee, the method comprising:displaying a plurality of payment options to the payer, wherein at leastone payment option enables payment using a tracer ticket containingencrypted tracer ticket information; receiving a payment selection fromthe payer; communicating the encrypted information with a services hub;and displaying a payment completion response, wherein the responseindicates success or failure of the payment transaction.
 72. The methodof claim 71, further comprising: requesting the services hub to generatethe tracer ticket; prompting the payee for payment transactioninformation, wherein the payment transaction information comprises apayment amount; transmitting the payment transaction information to theservices hub; receiving the tracer ticket and a tracer ticket numberfrom the services hub, wherein the tracer ticket number corresponds tothe tracer ticket; and displaying the tracer ticket and the tracerticket number to the payer.
 73. The method of claim 72, wherein thepayment transaction information further comprises identificationinformation of the payer.
 74. The method of claim 71, furthercomprising: prompting the payer to input a tracer ticket number, whereinthe tracer ticket number corresponds to a pre-authorized tracer ticket;receiving the tracer ticket number from the payer; and transmitting thetracer ticket number to the services hub.
 75. The method of claim 71,further comprising obtaining authentication information from the payerand forwarding the authentication information to the services hub.